Hubei Shuts Down 189 Illegal Sales Outlets, Arrests 142 in Crackdown on Fake New Energy Stations

On September 3, the Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee held a video conference to advance the nationwide inspection and rectification campaign targeting so-called "fake new-energy fueling stations." The meeting emphasized that these illicit stations pose serious safety hazards, threaten public safety, undermine national fiscal and tax order, and disrupt the refined oil market. Previously, the Office of the State Council Work Safety Committee, together with relevant departments, formed a joint task force to conduct on-site verification of the resurgence of such fake stations in Hubei Province. As a result, all facilities at 78 implicated sites have been dismantled. Hubei authorities further investigated and shut down 189 illegal sales points and seized 143 unauthorized transport vehicles. They also initiated 180 criminal cases, criminally detained 142 individuals, and imposed administrative detention on 265 others. The meeting urged local governments nationwide to follow Hubei’s example by comprehensively inspecting and rectifying fake new-energy fueling stations, strengthening coordinated law enforcement across the entire supply chain, strictly implementing the interdepartmental regulatory mechanism for refined oil products, and preventing any resurgence of the problem. So-called "fake new-energy fueling stations" refer to illicit operations where unscrupulous vendors falsely market non-standard fuels—often blended with methanol, formaldehyde, and substandard chemical ingredients—as "new energy" or "eco-friendly fuel" to evade refined oil regulations. Typical characteristics include offering unusually low prices to attract customers, using misleading labels such as "new-energy power fluid" or "eco-clean liquid," and operating through fixed stations or mobile refueling vehicles to bypass legally mandated approval procedures.